I got annoyed recently when I wanted to leave the house and noticed my bag was half full just with stuff to deal with weather. In Tokyo, I usually carry an umbrella with me, maybe sunscreen, sunglasses, a mini towel etc. Others have fans, “neck fans” (not sure how they are called). Maybe a water bottle also counts.
All of this is “weather stuff” for me. I asked a friend what she carries around, and we started to think about some other categories as well. So I wondered how much of the stuff we carry around is actually about the thing we want to do wherever we go, and how much is just to cope with the environment? Also, I would be curious how this looks like in other places around the world. Things probably vary by gender, age, season as well.
Some categories are:
- weather stuff
- personal hygiene stuff
- safety stuff
- not being annoyed by others stuff
- infrastructure fail stuff (e.g., preparing for when trains get delayed)
Very far north in Scandinavia:
Keys left pocket. Phone right pocket. Earbuds right pocket. Wallet (debit card and ID really) right leg pocket.
I check the forecast in the summer, if rain during the day then put on jacket. Peak temp 20°C or above use shorts.
In the winter I check temperature. +5 to -15 thin gloves -15 to -30 thick gloves. -30 to -40 carefully consider if I have to go out. -40 or less: take a picture of the thermometer and send it to people in the south to make them feel better about their life choices.